'The Dark Knight' Trailing Only 'Star Wars' & 'Titanic'?

'The Dark Knight' has climbed to third spot on all-time domestic box office chart – or has it?

Aug. 11, '08, update:The Dark Knight topped the North American box office for the fourth consecutive weekend (Aug. 8–10, '08) with $26 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates made available on Sunday.

Lifting its total gross to $441.5 million, Christopher Nolan's critically acclaimed sequel to Batman Begins has climbed to the third spot on the all-time domestic box office chart – as long as inflation is set aside.

In other words, without reflecting constant dollar values or the actual number of tickets sold, The Dark Knight currently finds itself right behind George Lucas' Star Wars (1977) and James Cameron's Titanic (1997), which reached $460.9 million and $600.7 million, respectively.

'Pineapple Express' & 'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2'

As found at boxofficemojo.com, trailing The Dark Knight was new entry Pineapple Express, starring Seth Rogen and James Franco as two potheads on the run from a gang of ruthless criminals. On the weekend proper, David Gordon Green's R-rated, stoner action-comedy scored $22.4 million, for a $40.4 million cume since its Wednesday release.

Universal's The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor fell to no. 3, earning $16.1 million while reaching $70.6 million after two weeks out. Directed by Rob Cohen, the sequel to The Mummy and The Mummy Returns stars Brendan Fraser as a an explorer whose ultimate goal is the fall of China's ruthless Dragon Emperor (Jet Li).

Another new entry that opened earlier in the week, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, collected $10.7 million in fourth place, bringing its five-day cumulative gross to $19.7 million. Starring Alexis Bledel, Amber Tamblyn, America Ferrera, and Blake Lively, the film follows four best girlfriends as they embark on their first year of college.

'Mamma Mia!' passes $100 million mark

At no. 5, Sony Pictures' comedy Step Brothers took in $8.9 million, lifting its domestic gross to $80.9 million after a strong three-week run. Directed by Adam McKay and produced by Judd Apatow, the film stars Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly as two spoiled men who become competitive stepbrothers after their single parents decide to tie the knot.

Universal's Mamma Mia! slipped to no. 6, pulling in $8 million and reaching a cumulative gross of $104 million. The Phyllida Lloyd-directed big-screen version of the successful Abba-inspired Broadway musical stars Amanda Seyfried as a bride-to-be who tries to figure out the identity of her real father. Meryl Streep plays Seyfried's mother.

'Wall-E' about to drop out of the Top Ten

With $4.8 million at no. 7 was Eric Brevig's Journey to the Center of the Earth, starring none other than The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor leading man Brendan Fraser. Previously filmed in 1959 with James Mason, Arlene Dahl, Pat Boone, and Diane Baker, the 3D adventure flick has reached $81.7 million so far in the U.S. and Canada.

At no. 8, Sony Pictures' Hancock, a thrill ride starring Will Smith as a drunken superhero who agrees to revamp his battered image, took in $3.3 million. Current cume: $221.7 million.

Aug. 4 update: This weekend (Aug. 1–3, '08), The Dark Knight managed to fend off The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor at the North American box office, grossing $43.8 million according to studio estimates released on Sunday.

Directed by Christopher Nolan The Dark Knight lifted its domestic total to an astonishing $394.8 million after only three weeks in release.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor debuted in second place with $42.4 million, which – not adjusting for inflation – is a little less than the $43.3 million opening weekend gross of The Mummy in 1999.

'Swing Vote' & 'X-Files: I Want to Believe' fail to either sway or convince moviegoers

In other domestic box office news, new entry Swing Vote pulled in only $6.3 million at no. 6, trailing Step Brothers, Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D, and Mamma Mia!.

Distributed by Walt Disney and directed by Joshua Michael Stern, the comedy stars Kevin Costner as an apathetic New Mexico resident whose vote will determine the outcome of the U.S. presidential election.

Additionally, Chris Carter's The X-Files: I Want to Believe picked up $3.4 million, reaching a disappointing $17 million total after two weeks.

July 28 update:The Dark Knight slashed its competition to reach the top of the North American box office, with a weekend gross of US$75.6 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Christopher Nolan's follow-up to Batman Begins crossed the $300 million mark in a record 10 days, bringing its domestic total to $314.2 million. The previous record holder was Gore Verbinski's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, which took 16 days to reach $300 million. The Dark Knight also easily soared past the $205.3 million total domestic gross of its predecessor. Starring Christian Bale, the film follows Batman's struggled to protect Gotham City from the madness of the Joker (Heath Ledger).

Debuting in second place, with $30 million, was Adam McKay's latest comedy, Step Brothers, which stars Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly as two spoiled men who are forced to live together as stepbrothers after their single parents decide to get married.

Although Step Brothers failed to beat the $47 million opening weekend of McKay's previous comedy Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, it performed much better than Ferrell's Semi-Pro and Reilly's Walk Hard combined.

Meanwhile, Universal's Mamma Mia! slipped to No. 3 this weekend, collecting $17.8 million. Directed by Phyllida Lloyd and starring Meryl Streep, the big-screen version of the popular Broadway musical lifted its total haul to $62.7 million after two weeks in release.

New entry The X-Files: I Want to Believe debuted in fourth place, with only $10.2 million. Chris Carter's second big-screen adventure based on the successful TV series failed to get close to the opening weekend of its predecessor, which took home $30.1 million back in 1998.

New Line Cinema's 3-D Journey to the Center of the Earth fell to fifth place, with $9.4 million in ticket sales. Directed by Eric Brevig and starring Brendan Fraser, the adventure film brought its cumulative gross to $60.1 million after a solid three-week run.

At No. 6, Peter Berg's action adventure Hancock earned $8.2 million, lifting its domestic total to $206.3 million after only four weeks in release. Starring Will Smith, the movie follows a drunken superhero who agrees to revamp his damaged image within his community.

Pixar's computer-animated WALL-E pulled in $6.3 million at No. 7, reaching a total gross of $195.2 million. Guillermo del Toro's Hellboy II: The Golden Army closely followed at No. 8 with $4.9 million, lifting its cumulative take to $65.8 million.

Two films rounded out the top 10: Space Chimps at No.9, with $4.3 million ($16 million total), and Universal's action hit Wanted, with $2.7 million, at No. 10.

July 20

The Dark Knight stormed to the top of the North American box office this weekend with $158.4 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Starring Christian Bale, the action-adventure drama follows Batman as he struggles to protect Gotham City from the ruthless Joker (Heath Ledger). The Dark Knight also outperformed its predecessor, which opened with only $48.7 million in 2005.

Debuting in second place with $27.7 million was Universal's Mamma Mia! Based on the popular Broadway musical and directed by Phyllida Lloyd, the movie centers on a bride-to-be (Amanda Seyfried) who tracks down three men – one of whom may be her real father.

At No. 3, Sony's actioner Hancock took in $14 million, lifting its domestic total to $191.5 million after three weeks in release. The Peter Berg-directed film stars Will Smith as a drunken superhero who agrees to revamp his damaged image within the community.

Meanwhile, Journey to the Center of the Earth slipped to No. 4 with a weekend gross of $12.3 million, reaching a cumulative gross of $43.5 million after a two-week run. Distributed by New Line Cinema, the 3-D live-action flick follows a scientist on his quest to locate a secret world at the Earth's core.

Last week's box office winner Hellboy II: The Golden Army dropped to fifth place, collecting $10.1 million and bringing its total haul to $56.5 million. Directed by Guillermo del Toro, the sequel to 2004's Hellboy stars Ron Perlman as a friendly demon who protects humankind from the dark forces of the underworld.

Pixar's computer-animated WALL-E earned $10 million, reaching a domestic total of $182.7 million after four weeks in release. Directed by Andrew Stanton, WALL-E tells the story of a small robot who falls for a probe droid.

New entry Space Chimps landed at No. 7, with only $7.1 million from ticket sales at 2,511 sites. Torn apart by the nation's top critics, the sci-fi adventure flick follows three NASA chimps on their quest to protect an uncharted planet's inhabitants from their ruthless leader.

Following closely at No. 8 was Timur Bekmambetov's action hit Wanted, which took home $5 million and lifted its cumulative gross to $123.3 million after four weeks in release. Starring James McAvoy and Angelina Jolie, the film centers on a nobody whose life takes a drastic turn after he joins a fraternity of assassins.

Two films rounded out the top ten: Get Smart picked up $4.1 million at No. 9, while DreamWorks Animation's Kung Fu Panda finished with $1.8 million in tenth place.

July 14

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (above, top photo) topped the North American box office this weekend with US$35.8 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Guillermo del Toro's sci-fi-cum-action thriller delivered a better performance than its predecessor, Hellboy, which took home only $23.1 million on its opening weekend in 2004. In this sequel, Hellboy (Ron Perlman) must stop a ruthless prince from waging war on humankind.

Last week's box office champ, Hancock (right), dropped to No. 2, earning $33 million and bringing its total domestic gross to $165 million after only two weeks in release. Directed by Peter Berg, the film stars Will Smith as a drunken superhero who agrees to rebuild his battered image.

Debuting in third place with $20.5 million was Eric Brevig's 3-D adventure tale Journey to the Center of the Earth (above, lower photo). Starring Brendan Fraser and Josh Hutcherson, the movie follows a scientist and his nephew as they discover a secret world near the Earth's core.

Meanwhile, Pixar's WALL-E slipped to No. 4, pulling $18.5 million from ticket sales at 3,849 locations. Andrew Stanton's computer-animated tale of a robot who falls for a probe droid lifted its cumulative gross to $162.7 million after only three weeks in release.

At No. 5, Timur Bekmambetov's action hit Wanted took home $11.5 million, reaching a total haul of $112 million after a strong three-week run. Starring James McAvoy and Angelina Jolie, the film revolves around a nobody whose life takes a drastic turn after he joins a fraternity of assassins.

Peter Segal's spy comedy Get Smart fell to sixth place, bringing in $7.1 million after reaching a domestic total of $111.4 million after four weeks in release. Distributed by Warner Bros., the film stars Steve Carell as a clumsy secret agent struggling to save the world.

New entry Meet Dave (above) opened in seventh place with a skimpy $5.3 million from ticket sales at 3,011 locations. Directed by Brian Robbins and released by 20th Century Fox, the comedy stars Eddie Murphy as a humanoid alien who travels to Earth to seek a way to save his own planet.

Following closely at No. 8 was DreamWorks Animation's Kung Fu Panda, which earned $4.3 million and brought its cumulative gross to $202 million after six weeks in release. Directed by Mark Osborne and John Stevenson, Kung Fu Panda follows a lazy panda (voiced by Jack Black) on his quest to learn the basics of kung fu.

Will Smith 'Hancock': Strong box office debut

Will Smith remains a box office hero. His latest action-adventure flick, Hancock, soared to the top of the North American box office this holiday weekend (July 4–6, '08) with $66 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates released on Sunday.

Directed by Peter Berg and distributed by Sony Pictures, Hancock has grossed $107.3 million since opening on Wednesday. Will Smith stars as a drunken superhero who agrees to team up with a PR guy (Jason Bateman) to restore his badly battered image.

'Wall-E' at no. 2

As found at boxofficemojo.com, last week's box office champ, WALL-E, trailed Hancock, earning $33.4 million and reaching a domestic total of $128.1 million after an impressive two-week run. Pixar Animation's critically acclaimed adventure tale follows a little robot in love with a probe droid from outer space.

At no. 3, Timur Bekmambetov's action hit Wanted pulled in $20.6 million from tickets sales at 3,185 locations. Starring James McAvoy as a nobody whose life takes a drastic turn when he joins a fraternity of assassins, Wanted lifted its cumulative gross to $90.7 million after only two weeks in release. Angelina Jolie costars.

'Kung Fu Panda' beating 'The Incredible Hulk'

Meanwhile, Get Smart dropped to fourth place with a weekend gross of $11.1 million. The Peter Segal-directed action comedy, which stars Steve Carell as a clumsy secret agent striving to save the world, brought is total domestic gross to $98.1 million. Anne Hathaway costars.

DreamWorks Animation's Kung Fu Panda collected $7.5 million at no. 5, reaching a total haul of $193.3 million after a solid five-week run. The adventure tale directed by Mark Osborne and John Stevenson follows a lazy panda on his quest to learn the basics of kung fu.

Louis Leterrier's action hit The Incredible Hulk dropped to sixth place, taking in $4.9 million. Marvel's comic book adaptation starring Edward Norton and Liv Tyler brought its cumulative gross to $124.9 million after four weeks in release. The film is just $8 million away from surpassing the $132 million total gross – not adjusted for inflation – of Ang Lee's 2003 version starring Eric Bana and Jennifer Connelly.

'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull' above $300 million

Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull stayed put at no. 7 with $3.9 million for a total gross of $306.5 after seven weeks. Set in 1957, the adventure yarn follows Harrison Ford's titular character on a quest to find a magical skull and defend it against a group of Soviet agents.

'An American Girl' tossed aside

Debuting in eighth place with only $3.6 million was Picturehouse's drama Kit Kittredge: An American Girl. Based on the popular American Girl doll line, the film stars Little Miss Sunshine actress Abigail Breslin as a talented writer growing up during the Great Depression.

Rounding out the top 10:

New Line Cinema's romantic comedy Sex and the City pulled in $2.3 million at no. 9. In the cast: Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kim Cattrall.

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